Tag Archives: special session

Day 9 quorum busting post: See you in August

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your endgame, more or less. Texas House Democrats will not return to the state until after the special session of the Legislature is over, one of the leaders of their walkout confirmed Tuesday. State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San … Continue reading →

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Abbott preps another shot at trans kids

Posted on July 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What an asshole. Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he was preparing to take action to restrict transition-related medical care for transgender minors in Texas after legislation to do so failed during the regular session. “I have another way of achieving … Continue reading →

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Day 4 quorum busting post: You may have won a free trip home!

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t think the Dems are going to claim this prize. The push to bring fugitive Texas Democrats back to Austin could be reaching new heights. House Speaker Dade Phelan on Thursday said he will charter a plane Saturday from … Continue reading →

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More briefs in the lawsuit over the line item veto

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope this means a ruling is on the horizon. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has asked the Texas Supreme Court to toss a lawsuit brought by House Democrats over Gov. Greg Abbott’s move to veto funding for the … Continue reading →

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Day 3 not as long omnibus quorum busting post

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s jump right in… Who’s paying for Texas Democrats’ trip to DC? Beto O’Rourke has already raised $400K. Beto O’Rourke’s political action committee has raised nearly half a million dollars to support Texas Democrats’ escape to Washington, D.C., he said … Continue reading →

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Day 2 quorum busting omnibus post

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna round up a few stories here. Don’t know how often I’ll be this energetic, or how often there will be this many stories that I see that are worth commenting on, but it is Day Two. We’re just getting … Continue reading →

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Senate Republicans advance their anti-trans sports bill

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There were enough of them on the committee to have a quorum by themselves, so they did the thing that they do. Legislation that would limit transgender students’ participation in school sports advanced out of a Senate committee on Monday after … Continue reading →

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Quorum broken again

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives left the state Monday afternoon en route to Washington, D.C., in a bid to again deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass new voting restrictions with 26 days left in … Continue reading →

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Bad bail bill 2.0

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This was also happening over the weekend. Days into a short legislative session, Texas lawmakers are moving quickly to pass a GOP priority bill that would make it harder for some people who have been arrested but not convicted to … Continue reading →

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The Lege has its voter suppression hearings

Posted on July 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

People showed up to say something about it, that much is for sure. Hundreds of Texans lined up at the state Capitol on Saturday for their first opportunity during the special legislative session to testify before lawmakers over the renewed … Continue reading →

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State House takes a step toward reinstating legislative funding

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but it’s just a first step. Texas lawmakers are moving swiftly to reinstate funding for the Texas Legislature, vetoed last month by Gov. Greg Abbott, that affects the salaries of more than 2,100 employees across several state agencies The … Continue reading →

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Disabled voters worry about getting screwed by SB7

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It won’t be called SB7 in the special session on voter suppression, but you know what I mean. Texas Republicans have pursued broad efforts this year to ratchet up voting restrictions in the aftermath of a high-turnout election that saw … Continue reading →

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Here are your new SB7s

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We start with the House. The Texas House is starting off on a new foot on the contentious elections proposal that blew up the regular legislative session. As a special session reviving the Republican-priority bill got underway Thursday, there were … Continue reading →

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Here’s your special session agenda

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They call this “red meat”, but it’s really just bullshit. Gov. Greg Abbott has announced the agenda for the special legislative session that begins Thursday, asking lawmakers to prioritize 11 issues that largely appeal to conservatives who wanted more out … Continue reading →

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Abbott tells the PUC to, like, “do something” about electricity and stuff

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He’s a Very Serious man making Very Serious proposals. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday gave state electricity regulators marching orders to “improve electric reliability.” In a letter to the Public Utility Commission, Abbott directed the three-person board of directors, who … Continue reading →

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The response to the lawsuit over the line item veto

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I know, scintillating headline, but there’s plenty of action here. The state is defending Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent veto of legislative funding as a bipartisan group of former state leaders — as well as more Democrats — weigh in against … Continue reading →

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Let a thousand Justice Department probes of Texas voter suppression bloom

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just don’t expect too much to happen. With Texas lawmakers poised to push for new voting restrictions in a special session next week, the state’s congressional Democrats are urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Texas’ existing voting laws. … Continue reading →

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How will the Dems handle the special session?

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They have some options, but honestly, there’s not that much they can do. Outnumbered and virtually powerless to block conservative priorities they oppose, Democrats in the Texas Legislature say they are keeping their options open as they prepare for a … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over veto of legislative budget

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. And necessary. A group of Texas House Democrats and legislative staffers is asking the Texas Supreme Court to override Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent veto of a portion of the state budget that funds the Legislature, staffers there and legislative … Continue reading →

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They’re coming back

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. Gov. Greg Abbott has set a special session of the Texas Legislature starting July 8, his office announced Tuesday. Abbott’s office did not specify what legislative priorities will be included on the special session agenda and said in … Continue reading →

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Abbott follows through on veto of legislative funding

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So here we go. Gov. Greg Abbott followed through Friday on a threat to veto a section of the state budget that funds the Texas Legislature, its staffers and legislative agencies. The governor’s move targeting lawmaker pay comes after House … Continue reading →

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The Texas Dem legislators and the push for federal voting rights legislation

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We know this happened. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday pointed to Texas Republicans’ push for sweeping new voting restrictions as a key illustration of the need to restore federal oversight of elections. While meeting at the White House with … Continue reading →

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HISD asks for virtual learning funds do-over

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I can understand this. Thirty school districts, including Houston ISD, and two associations signed a letter to urge Gov. Greg Abbott to add legislation funding virtual learning to any special session for other proposed laws. A bill that would have ensured districts … Continue reading →

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From the “Oops, how did that get in there?” department

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Remember how the final version of SB7, the one that emerged from behind closed doors in conference committee, had a provision in it that would have made it a lot easier to overturn the result of an election via legal … Continue reading →

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Can Abbott actually veto the legislative budget?

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who knows? We’ll see if he actually does it. Fresh off the defeat of two of his legislative priorities Sunday night when Democrats abandoned the Texas House to block a sweeping elections bill, Gov. Greg Abbott flexed his executive muscle … Continue reading →

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More on the post-quorum break fallout

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This Trib story mostly centers on the perspective of the Black legislators during the SB7 fight, and it’s a good read for that, but I want to focus on this bit here: While the legislation in the Senate partly targeted … Continue reading →

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So now what?

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Well, Greg Abbott gets to have a little temper tantrum, which may or may not end up in an immediate special session. The Texas Legislature closed out its regular 140-day session Monday with sniping among the state’s top political leaders … Continue reading →

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Are we headed for a June special session or not?

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Too soon to tell. Right now this is just the usual end-of-session venting and frustration. With the future of the power grid and voting laws in Texas hanging in the balance, tensions among the top political leaders in the Legislature … Continue reading →

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Anti-trans sports bill dies

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, with the usual caveats. A controversial Texas bill that would restrict the participation of transgender student athletes in school sports ran out of time for consideration in the House as the lower chamber hit a crucial deadline Tuesday night for … Continue reading →

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Think of the kids today

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Today, the anti-trans sports bill SB29 is on the House calendar. Hopefully, it will fail to make it to the floor before midnight, which is the deadline for Senate bills to be passed by the House. Whatever the case, spend … Continue reading →

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House passes its bill to limit Governor’s emergency powers

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure if this is going to make it through the Senate. The Texas House on Monday gave preliminary approval to a sweeping bill that would reform the governor’s emergency powers during a pandemic and involve the Legislature during such … Continue reading →

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House passes its budget

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The rites of spring in Texas: The start of baseball season, the first 90-degree day, and in odd-numbered years, the House Budget Amendment-Palooza. The Texas House on Thursday night unanimously passed its proposed two-year, $246 billion state budget after members … Continue reading →

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First attempt to redefine the governor’s powers in an emergency

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still conflicted about this. The Texas Senate backed a potential constitutional amendment Tuesday that would substantially rein in the power of the governor during emergencies like this past year’s coronavirus pandemic. Texas voters would have to approve the amendment … Continue reading →

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Again with defining the Governor’s powers in an emergency

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The legislative process has begun, and I feel like we’ve already lost the plot. For roughly the past year, Republicans and Democrats have picked apart the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — and particularly how Gov. Greg Abbott has … Continue reading →

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